Lap-feeding device for carding-machines.



r PATBNTED NOV. 28, 1905. G. SOHOFIELD & .I. .REEDER.

LAP FEEDING DEVICE FOR GARDING MACHINES v 4PPLIOATJFON FILED 113.10.1905."

2 SHEETS-$111213! 2.

KMXM.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SCHOFIELD vAND ISAAC REEDER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA,ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAM SCHOFIELD COMPANY, OF PHILADEL- PHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LAP-FEEDING. DEVICE FOFI CARD!NGr-IVIACHINES.v A

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

' Application filed February 10,1905- erial No. 245,063.

To ail whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLEs SCHOFIELD and ISAAC REEDER, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Philadelphia, Penn sylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Lap-Feeding Devices forCarding-Machines,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention. relates to that class of lapforming devices forcarding-machines in which the web or fleece from the delivery-apron ofone carding-machine is folded back and forth .upon a transverse apronrunning at right angles to the direction of movement of saiddelivery-apron for the purpose of conveying the lapped web or fleece toa second cardingmachine alongside of the first.

Our invention relates especially to the means I employed for receivingthe web or fleece from the delivery-apron of the first carding-machineand conveying the same to and lapping it upon the transverseconveyer-apron, the

purpose of our invention being to effect such conveyance of the webwithout injury thereto and to impart to-and-fro motion to the deviceswhich direct the web or fleece onto the transverse conveyer-apron andalso feeding or carmanner hereinafter set forth, reference being badtothe accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a side View of alap-feeding device for carding-machines constructed in accordance withour present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 isa transverse section on the line a a, Fig. 1.

1 represents the deliverybelt or apron of the carding-machine, whichreceives the thin web or fleece from the dolfer or other member of saidcarding-machine, said apron being mounted upon drums upon shafts 2 and3, which are adapted to suitable bearings in a frame comprising sidebars each composed of members 4 and 5 rigidly secured together, and atransverse rod\6 connecting the outer ends of the bars 5, said framebeing supported by means of suspension-rods 7, which are hung from asuitable fixed support above the machine. The shaft 2 has achain or spurwheel 8, whereby it is rotated from some convenient rotating member ofthe carding-machine, and said shaft also has a sprocket-wheel 9, towhich is adapted a chain belt 10, the latter also engaging asprocket-wheel 11, secured to the shaft 3, and a sprocket-wheel 12,which is secured to a shaft 13, the latter being adapted to bearings inthe arms 5 and having secured to it a drum 14, as shown inFig. 2. Tosimilar bearings inithe arms 5 is adapted another shaft 15, which isprovided with a drum 16, and depending from and free to Swing on saidshafts 18 and 15 at each end of the same are arms 17 and 18, each arm 17being connected at its lower end to the adjoining arm 18 by means of alink 19*, as shown in Fig. 1.

The lower ends of the arms 17 and 18 constitute bearings for shafts 19and 20, which carry drums 21 and 22, and mounted upon said drum 21 andupon a drum 23, whose shaft is adapted to bearings in the arms 17, is aconveyer-apron 24, another conveyer-apron 25 being mounted upon-thedrums 16 and 22, so that the web or fleece delivered from theconveyer-apron 1 will first pass forwardly over and around the drum'14and then downwardly between the aprons 24 and 25 and will be depositedupon the transverse conveyer-apron 26, which is disposed beneath thestructure which we have'just described and is mounted upon suitabledrums whose shafts turn in fixed bearings on the floor, said transverseconveyer-apron extending laterally to any-desired position where it hasto deliver its load to the feeding devices of the other cardingmachine.The said transverseconveyor-apron may deliver to or may form part ofWhat is termed a-camel-back, whereby the web or fleece is lapped uponthe feeding-apron of the second carding-machine.

By the use of the drum 14 we overcome an objection which applies toapparatus in which the web or fleece is fed directly from the apron 1 tothe upper portions of the directing-aprons 24 and 25. Where the apron 24passes around its upper drum 23, the slats of the apron are separated,and when the apron passes from the curved'to the straight course theslats approach each other, andhence have a tendency to nip the fibers ofthe web. When the drum 14 is used, however, the webdoes not come intocontact with the apron 24 until the latter has assumed its downwardcourse and its slats are close together.

In order to impart swinging movement to the arms 17 and 18, so that theaprons 24 and 25 may lap the fleece back and forth upon the surface ofthe transverse conveyer-apron 26, a shaft 27 is adapted to suitablebearings in brackets projecting upwardly from the arms 5, and this shaftis provided at each end with a spur-wheel 28, which meshes With aspurpinion 29' on the shaft 3, said spur-wheel 28 having a series ofopenings 30 at different distances from the center of the same, toeither of which openings may be adapted a crankpin 31, which engages oneend of a link 32, the other end of said link being connected to an arm33, which forms an upward continuation of the arm 18. As the spur-wheel28 is rotated, therefore, swinging movement will be imparted to the arms17 and 18, the extent of this movement being dependent upon which of theopenings 30 in the spur-wheel 28 receives the crank-pin 31.

Rotary movement is transmitted from the shaft 13 to the shaft 15 throughthe medium of a pair of interposed and intermeshing spurwheels 34 and35, and movement is transmitted from the shaft 13 to the shaft of thedrum 23 by a chain belt 44, adapted to sprocketwheels on the two shafts.

Hung to a pivot-pin 36 on a bracket at the lower end of each of the arms17 is a link 37, which constitutes a bearing for one of the journals ofthe spindle of a drum 38, and in like manner the arms 18 carrypivot-pins 39 for links 40, which .carry the spindle of a drum 41, andsaid drums 38 and 41 are rotated in the direction of the arrows shown inFig. 1 by means of chain belts 42 and 43,

adapted to sprocket-wheels on the shafts 13 and 15 and on the spindlesof the drums. These drums 38 and 41 serve to lay the web or fleeceproperly upon the surface of the transverse conveyer-apron 26, and, ifdesired, can press upon the upper layer of each lap, so as to compactsaid lap upon the apron, adjustment of the drums 38 and 41 in respect tothe upper surface of the apron 26 being effected by simply loosening thenuts upon the pivot-pins 36 and 39, swinging the links 37 and 40 in onedirection or the other to the proper extent and then again tighteningsaid nuts.

It will be observed that our improved lapfeeder constitutes anattachment which is complete in itself and can therefore be readilyapplied to any carding-machine without requiring any modification in thestructure of the latter, and, further, that the mechanism for swingingthe depending frame which carries the directing-aprons 24 and 25 has noconnection with the carding-machine proper and is located wholly at thetop of the attachment,

so that the lower portion of the swinging,

frame with its directing aprons and drums is accessible on all sides topermit of ready access to any part of the fleece or web which is beinglaid upon the transverse conveyor-apron 26.

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. The combination of the delivery-apron of acarding-machine, and a transverse conveyorapron ata lower level, withmechanism for receiving the web or fleece from said deliveryapron andlapping it upon the transverse conveyer-apron, said mechanism comprisinga fixed top frame and a depending swinging frame comprising armsconnected at their lower ends and pivoted at their upper ends to saidfixed top frame, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the delivery-apron of a carding-machine and atransverse conveyerapron at a lower level, with mechanism for receivingthe web or fleece from said deliveryapron and lapping it upon thetransverse conveyer-apron, said mechanism comprising a fixed top frame,a depending swinging frame comprising arms connected at their lowerends, and pivoted at their upper ends to said fixed top frame, anddirecting-aprons carried by said swinging frame, substantially asspecified.

3. The combination of the delivery-apron of a carding-machine and atransverse conveyerapron ata lower level, with mechanism for receivingthe web or fleece from said deliveryapron and lapping it upon thetransverse con veyer-apron, said mechanism comprising a fixed top frame,a depending swinging frame comprising arms connected at their lowerends, and pivoted at their upper ends to said fixed top frame,directing-aprons carried by saidswinging frame, and laying-rollers onthe swinging frame below said aprons, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the delivery-apron of a carding-machine and atransverse conveyerapron at a lower level, with mechanism for receivingthe web or fleece from said deliveryapron and lapping it upon thetransverse conveyer-apron, said mechanism comprising a fixed top frameand a depending swinging frame comprising arms connected at their lowerends, and pivoted at their upper ends to the fixed top frame,directing-aprons carried by said swinging frame, and laying-rollersbelow said aprons, said laying-rollers being carried by links which arepivoted to the swinging frame, substantially as specified. 5. Thecombination of the delivery-apron of a cardingmachine, a transverseconveyerapron at a lowel level, and mechanism for receiving the web orfleece from said deliveryapron and lapping it upon the conveyer-apron,said mechanism comprising an upper frame, a swinging frame dependingtherefrom, and carrying mechanism for directing the web or apron atalower level, and mechanism for re-' ceiving the web or fleece from saiddeliveryapron and lapping it upon the conveyer-apron, said mechanismcomprising an upper frame, a swinging frame depending therefrom andcarrying mechanism for directing the web or fleece onto theconveyer-apron, and mechanism driven from one of the shafts of thedelivery apron of the cardingmachine and mounted upon said upper framefor imparting swinging movement to said depending frame, substantiallyas specified. 1

7. The combination of the delivery-apron of a cardingmachine, atransverse conveyerapron at a lower level, and mechanism for receivingthe web or fleece from said deliveryapron and lapping itupon theconveyor-apron, said mechanism comprising an upper frame and a swingingframe depending therefrom and carrying mechanism for directing the webor fleece onto the conveyer-apron, and mechanism driven from one of theshafts of the delivery-apron and mounted upon said upper frame forimparting swinging movement to said, depending frame, and also to theweb-diing and swinging directing-aprons, and a web supporting anddirecting device located above that one of said directing-aprons whichis adjacent to the delivery-apron, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of the delivery-apron of a carding-machine, atransverse conveyerapron at a lower level, a frame carrying saiddelivery-apron, adrum for receiving the fleece' therefrom, dependingdevices for. directing said fleece onto the transverse conveyer-apron,

means for imparting rotary movement to one of the shafts of thedelivery-apron, and a chain and sprocket-wheels whereby said shaft iscaused toimpart movement to the other shaft of the delivery-apron, andalso to the drum which receives the fleece therefrom, substantially asspecified.

10. The combination of the delivery-apron of a carding-machine, atransverse conveyerapron at a lower level, an upper frame, adependingswinging frame carrying devices for directing the Web or fleece ontosaid transverseconveyer-apron, spur-pinions on one of the shafts of thedelivery-apron, spur-wheels meshing therewith, and each having acrankpin, and a connection between said crank-pin and an element of theswinging frame, said gearing being mounted upon the upper frame,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES SOHOFIELD.

ISAAC REEDER.

Witnesses:

WALTER CHIsM, Jos. H.'KLEIN.

